The Danger Within
by dublin writer
Summary: This is an original story I wrote where Steve is sick and doesn't tell anyone. Almost leading to dire circumstances. Thank you to those who reviewed and commented on my first story.Your kind and encouraging words inspired me to write this second story. I hope you will enjoy this story also. Disclaimer: I do not own the SOSF characters. They belong to their creators.
1. Chapter 1

**The Danger Within**

Chapter 1

It was another beautiful morning in San Francisco. The sun was shining and Lieutenant Mike Stone had just arrived at the office. He was in a good mood as Jeannie had called last night to say that she was planning to visit that weekend from Arizona and the thought of seeing his beloved daughter was enough to put a spring in his step. It had been a relatively quiet week at the office compared to normal. The latest case had been solved and the culprit was nicely tucked up behind bars. Yes, Mike thought, it was going to be a good day! Downtown in the apartment of Inspector Steve Keller things were not going as well. When Steve had finished typing his latest report at the office just after eleven pm last night he wasn't feeling too good. His stomach had been out of sorts all day and Steve as usual was blaming Mike's decision to buy them greasy hot dogs for lunch. Instead of their usual haunt Mike had bought the hotdogs off a street vendor outside the Golden Gate Park where they had just apprehended their latest suspect. While Mike as usual had wolfed down his lunch with gleeful abandon Steve had eyed up the grease filled hotdog with disgust and had only reluctantly eaten it after Mike lectured him about his ingratitude and his lack of appreciation for real man's food. Mike could never understand Steve's preference for salads and health foods instead of the normal diet of SFPD's finest which mainly consisted of hotdogs, pizza and doughnuts. Steve was more content chewing on his regular handful of sunflower seeds a habit that Mike would definitely never understand. "That's parrot food buddy boy, not policeman's food! " he would regularly say to Steve's amusement. On this occasion Steve had been unlucky with his hotdog as while Mike had the constitution of an ox and had no ill effects from his, Steve had spent the entire night after arriving home getting reacquainted with his stomach contents. Finally spent and exhausted Steve had practically crawled into bed at five am and fell into a deep sleep not even hearing his alarm clock as it went off.

At eight thirty am Mike had just finished his second cup of coffee and his good mood was starting to turn sour as he stared out at Steve's empty desk. While Steve had dutifully finished his report like always and had placed it on Mike's desk before going home last night as promised, Mike hoped that the young inspector hadn't forgotten their ten o'clock meeting with the Captain to update him on their latest arrest. It was usual for Steve to be late sometimes in the mornings especially when he was meeting one of his many female admirers after work but Steve hadn't mentioned any plans last night and although it was normal for Steve not to say anything when he was feeling unwell, Mike had found Steve to be off form and unusually quiet last evening and wondered if there was something wrong with the boy. He had planned to broach the subject with Steve but had finally put it down to the fact that their last case had been particularly draining and that the young man was tired and needed a good night's sleep. Mike's thoughts were disturbed by the ringing phone on his desk. The Captain's voice greeted him and he made a mental note to call Steve as soon as he had finished assuring the Captain of their readiness for the upcoming meeting. Damn it Steve where are you?...


	2. Chapter 2

**The Danger Within**

Chapter 2

The first thing that penetrated Steve's consciousness was the annoying sound of a ringing phone. He placed the pillow over his head hoping to drown out the incessant noise that was disturbing the first peace he'd had in the last thirty six hours but whoever it was, was extremely persistent. Still half under his pillow he reached out his hand and grabbed the receiver and placed it to his ear. "Mmmmmm..Yeah..hello?" was all his exhausted mind could say. "Steve, what the hell do you think you're doing? Are you still in bed? Damn it Steve, it's nine o'clock and we're supposed to be meeting the Captain in an hour or had you forgotten? Did you have your alarm clock in the closet again? Damn it Steve, you had better high tail yourself out of that bed and into the shower and be here asap...do you hear me now?"... The rant continued and Steve couldn't get a word in edgewise...When Mike was in that mood the young inspector had learned to take his dressing down and to say as little as possible was the best thing to do. Nine o'clock! No wonder Mike was mad...he hadn't even realized it was that late. He thought about telling Mike he was sick and about his night on the bathroom floor but thought better of it, knowing that if he blamed the hotdog Mike might either feel guilty or worse he might provoke another lecture about the fact that his healthy eating had ruined his ability to stomach real man's food! So when the rant finally ended all Steve managed to say was " I'm sorry Mike...I'll be there soon." " You'd better be buddy boy "was the sour reply as the receiver was slammed down. This was not going to be a good day! Steve thought to himself as he dragged his weak and exhausted body out of bed and headed for the shower. On a brighter note he didn't feel like he was going to throw up anymore although he reckoned that the slightest sight or scent of food right now might change that situation. He had awful stomach pains though, the kind that could almost double you over and his mouth felt like something had long since died in there. He reckoned he probably didn't have anything left in his stomach to be sick with ,so if he kept to a liquid diet he should make it through the day's work without causing a scene or alerting Mike to the fact that his culinary choices had almost killed him this time. He showered, shaved and dressed quickly and brushed his teeth. He almost felt human again except for the terrible stomach cramps and so decided against his usual morning cup of coffee and settled for a bottle of water that he could bring with him to work instead. He was used to getting up later than he should and making the mad dash to work so considering the night he'd had he was quite proud of himself when he entered the front door of the precinct at exactly nine thirty-five am. As he made his way upstairs to his office he readied himself for the further telling off he reckoned he was going to have to endure and paused in the corridor before entering to breathe through another set of violent stomach spasms that gripped him. God he felt lousy! "Ok, here I come, ready or not " he muttered to himself under his breath as he entered the bullpen noticing that Mike was already hovering around his desk awaiting his arrival and that was NEVER a good sign! He just hoped he'd have the strength to get through what was going to be a very difficult day.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Danger Within**

Chapter 3

In the minutes that had ticked by since his phone call to Steve ,Mike had managed to calm down. He hadn't meant to be so tough on the boy but hearing his sleepy voice made him see red and before he knew it he had unleashed hell over the phone. Now that he had calmed down and had time to think he began to regret his outburst. After all it wasn't like Steve to be so disorganized when it came to work. Sure he could be late sometimes but he never missed appointments or meetings and he had never met anyone who could get from bed to work as quick as Steve could when the need arose. No, there was definitely something not right with Steve at the minute and the more he thought of how drawn and subdued Steve was last night he was determined to find out what that something was. If Steve was sick, Mike knew that he wouldn't volunteer that information readily. That was one characteristic of Steve's that irked the older detective. He couldn't understand why Steve couldn't just admit to being ill. After all everyone had their off days and they were nothing to be ashamed of but over the three years that Mike had known Steve he had practically had to place the young inspector under house arrest just to get him to take an occasional sick day even when he was almost fit to drop on occasion. He decided to study the young man carefully when he arrived and vowed not to lose his temper again. Having poured himself another cup of coffee he decided to wait at Steve's desk but after more minutes went by Mike found himself pacing up and down and worrying about the young man he had grown so fond of. Just as he was going to pick up the phone on Steve's desk to ring him again he heard the door to the bullpen open and turning around he was relieved to see Steve walk in.

Steve walked as confidently as he could toward his desk knowing full well that Mike by now would be watching him intently searching for visible clues as to what had him so late. "Hey Mike, Look I'm really sorry for this morning.I never heard my alarm. Just let me get my reports together and we'll go talk to the Captain." He immediately busied himself sorting papers on his desk and hoped he had come across as normal as possible. "Nice of you to join me. I hope whatever delayed you wasn't too upset when you had to bail out at such short notice" Mike replied keeping his tone lighthearted,all the while watching Steve for his reaction and trying to ascertain if that was the reason for his tardiness this morning. "Very funny. Well I hate to disappoint you Mike but the only company I had last night was my pillow and to satisfy your curiosity I was late getting to bed because something unexpected came up." Steve couldn't help but smile as he conveyed his cleverly worded excuse. Little did Mike know how close to the truth it was. Mike noted that while Steve appeared fine and he was smiling he was perhaps a little paler than normal and there was still something that niggled at Mike. You can't fool me that easily buddy boy, Mike thought to himself. I'm going to keep a close eye on you today.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Danger Within**

Chapter 4

Steve was thankful that after their conversation Mike returned to his office to prepare for their meeting. Steve sat down at his typewriter safe in the knowledge that from that position he had his back to Mike and could let down his guard for a few minutes of respite. All the while he could almost feel Mike's eyes burning holes in his back. Knowing Mike as well as he did he was fairly certain that Mike hadn't bought his usual "I'm ok " routine. This was going to be tougher to pull off than he'd hoped. He was starting to feel bad again too which didn't help. He was feeling slightly lightheaded probably as he hadn't eaten anything for over twenty hours and the pains in his stomach were getting worse. He really hoped this meeting wouldn't take too long because he wasn't sure how long he could keep up his current charade. He was torn from his thoughts by the sound of Mike's approaching footsteps. " Time to go buddy boy. Let's not keep the Captain waiting." Steve rose from his seat as straight as he could, picked up his files and waited for Mike to lead the way. "Oh, after you buddy boy. I insist" Mike said as he followed Steve a few steps behind. He had been watching Steve from his office and again something wasn't right. He had sat with his back to Mike's office the whole time as if he were avoiding him. Mike felt he'd have a better vantage point to observe his partner by following him to the Captain's office. Halfway down the corridor,a severe spasm hit Steve and he involuntarily bent forward. Immediately and with great presence of mind Steve dropped his files hoping his sudden movement could be mistaken for clumsiness. Mike rushed forward to help Steve pick up the files however as Steve bent down to collect them a groan escaped his lips as the pain sharpened. Steve was sure that Mike heard it and cursed himself for his mistake. He quickly straightened up and walked more quickly toward the Captain's office only to feel a strong hand grab his arm and he was spun around to face his commanding officer. Mike was staring at him with those piercing blue eyes and the expression on his face was one of concern and steely determination to find the truth. It was a look he had seen on his mentor's face many times before and in that moment he realised his lies were futile in the face of Mike Stone's steely glare. " What's the matter with you buddy boy and I want the whole truth and nothing but the truth or so help me God I'll... " Before Mike could finish his sentence the Captain's office door opened and out walked Rudy Olsen "Ah gentlemen, right on time. Come on in and sit down." Steve had been spared the sudden inquisition and quickly moved into the office finding the nearest seat and using it. He watched Mike follow him all the while noting that Mike was still studying him intently. His expression made it clear to Steve that the conversation was by no means over merely postponed until the next available opportunity. For the moment Steve would settle for a postponement. The meeting went on for close to an hour as they filled Captain Olsen in on their latest case and the damaging evidence they had collected on the suspect they had in custody. Rudy Olsen seemed very pleased with the work they had done and praised the two detectives on a job well done. Then followed some small talk as Rudy asked Mike how Jeannie was getting on up in Arizona. It was at this stage that Steve zoned out of the conversation. He was starting to feel nauseous again and prayed that he would be able to leave the Captain's office soon. The walls of the office felt like they were closing in on him and he subconsciously started loosening his tie as he felt like it was choking him. This action was not lost on Mike who while conversing with Rudy had not taken his eyes off the young detective. Mike really felt that something was seriously wrong with Steve. " Well, we won't take up anymore of your precious time Captain" Mike said feeling Steve's obvious discomfort. This was all Steve needed to hear as he jumped up from his seat in order to make a quick escape however the sudden movement was ill advised and as Steve stood up a wave of dizziness swept over him and he almost fell forward only for the fact that Mike was expecting trouble and was beside him in an instant steadying him and lowering him back into his seat. Steve teetered on the brink of consciousness for a moment or two and when the room came back into focus he saw Mike and Rudy's concerned faces on either side of him. "Steve!... Talk to me buddy boy...Are you ok? " Before Steve could answer an excruciating pain in his abdomen made him double over and took his breath away..." Mike...pain...right side... really bad.." were the only words he could utter as it felt as if someone had driven a hot poker through his gut. "Rudy, call an ambulance! " Mike yelled as he watched the young man whom he cared for like a son's complexion turn almost ashen grey. Steve's breaths were almost coming in gasps and he suddenly felt very afraid, not fully knowing what was happening to him. " Hang in there Steve " Mike said as encouragingly as he could." The ambulance won't be long now. Just stay with me, buddy boy...just stay with me! "


	5. Chapter 5

**AN ; Apologies if there are any medical inaccuracies in the rest of my story. I did some research on the topic of appendicitis but as I am not medically minded I may have overlooked something. Please be assured that I tried to be as accurate as possible .**

**The Danger Within**

Chapter 5

Mike Stone felt like he had aged five years waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Steve was in a bad way. The pain had become increasingly worse and he had broken out in a cold sweat. In all the excitement Lenny Murchison had learned of Steve's situation and had hurried downstairs to Olsen's office. While not strictly a medical doctor as such he had some medical training and on seeing Steve he knew that something was very seriously wrong. Steve had become too uncomfortable in the chair so they had laid him out on the couch in Olsen's office instead. When Lenny heard from Mike about the pain in Steve's side he proceeded to examine him. Steve protectively guarded his right side and had to be almost physically restrained to allow Lenny to look at it. " Take it easy Steve. Let Lenny look at your side. Come on now." Mike coaxed. " Hurts...bad... " Steve had gasped... "I know it hurts Steve. Everything's going to be alright . " Mike wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure...Steve or himself. " Where's the DAMN ambulance? Mike roared feeling utterly helpless. " They've just pulled up outside Mike " Rudy said looking out of the window. Thank God! Mike thought..feeling slightly more at ease now knowing medical assistance was just a staircase away. " You hear that Steve? Help's on the way. Hold on! " Lenny had finally gained access to Steve's right side and probed the area. When he pressed down Steve let out a scream of pain that almost curdled Mike's blood. "What is it Lenny? " Mike asked desperately needing answers right now. " I'm almost certain it's his appendix Mike. The area's very tender and with the amount of pain he's in I'd say it's close to bursting. It's serious Mike. Has he complained about his side in the last twenty four hours or had any other symptoms? " Lenny asked. Lenny was very fond of Steve, often helping both detectives on numerous cases and was very worried by the young man's quickening pulse and ashen appearance. Steve was a likable and affable young man and was very popular in the bureau which was highly indicated by the growing number of officers and detectives that had gathered outside Olsen's office anxiously waiting for news about Steve as news of Steve's condition had spread like wildfire around the precinct. Mike listened to Lenny's question and instantly the last thirty six hours flashed back in his mind. Steve had been favouring his side a little although not that noticeably. Then he thought about the chase that had led to the apprehension of their suspect through the Golden Gate Park. Steve had been the one to finally outrun the suspect and bring him down but had seemed slightly more out of breath than his normally energetic self would be. Mike now recalled how he had leaned against the car after the chase puffing and panting and he recalled, how embarrassingly now, he had chided with Steve about slowing up in his old age. His lack of appetite when it came to his hotdog for lunch and how Mike had practically forced him to eat it, all the while knowing Steve had been washing it down with his coffee barely able to swallow it. His quietness all afternoon and evening and the occasions when Mike saw him hunched over his typewriter and never cast it a second thought. His inability to get out of bed this morning and how he had devoured Steve over the phone for his tardiness. His arrival into work pale and stiff looking. His episode in the corridor that he tried to hide,the groan of pain leading up to his eventual collapse in Olsen's office. My God...Mike thought. Call yourself a detective... The clues were all there. Guilt and shame filled him and he cursed himself inwardly for failing his young protégé. Damn it Steve why didn't you say something Mike thought and immediately made a mental note to have a severe talking to Steve about his inability to admit sickness ,when this was all behind them. " Mike..". Mike came out of his train of thought to see Lenny looking at him questioningly.. "Yes, he hasn't been himself the last day or two and I never spotted it Lenny..." Mike's voice broke as he spoke and Lenny felt for the older detective who he knew cared about Steve like a son. " Don't blame yourself Mike. You know Steve doesn't tell anyone when he's hurting. That's normally my problem to deal with. " Lenny offered ,knowing his attempt at levity was at the moment lost on the older man who was inwardly torturing himself for not spotting Steve's distress earlier. Nobody realized that Steve was actually listening to the conversation between the two men until Steve blindly shot out his left hand and grabbed Mike's arm. " I'm sorry Mike...not your fault...I should have told you I was...sick..." Steve said in gasps of pain. Mike grasped his hand and squeezed it. " Alright now. Try not to talk. We'll discuss this later. You just take it easy and do what the doctors tell you and everything will be alright." " You're not...mad at me are you...Mike ?" Steve asked. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset the man who he cared for like a father. " " Of course I'm not mad at you...buddy boy.." Mike said his voice breaking again. He ruffled Steve's hair as he often did to lighten the mood but no more was said as the door opened and the paramedics were ushered in.

The next ten minutes went by quickly as Mike, Lenny and Rudy stood back to let the paramedics work. Lenny filled them in on what he felt was wrong with Steve, an IV was inserted into Steve's left arm and very quickly Steve was placed on the gurney and was wheeled with great speed to the waiting ambulance. Mike insisted on travelling with Steve and Lenny and Rudy said they would follow behind the ambulance. The ambulance ride was a tense one. Mike continued to hold Steve's hand and spoke softly to him but by this stage Steve was in too much discomfort to respond. His eyes were practically closed as he tried to breathe through the excruciating pain in his side. He could hear Mike though and was comforted by the fact that he was there. God, Steve had never been in this much pain before and he started to regret not telling anyone about how bad he felt. He subconsciously vowed that if he survived this, he would never,ever keep his health or lack of it to himself again. He had definitely learned a harsh lesson today. Hopefully he hadn't learned his lesson too late. Within minutes they arrived at the hospital and Steve was whipped off to be examined while Mike was ushered to the waiting room. Mike sat down with his head in his hands and prayed like he never had before that Steve would be ok only looking up when he heard Lenny and Rudy arrive. Now for the part Mike hated. The waiting!


	6. Chapter 6

**The Danger Within**

Chapter 6:

Mike didn't have to wait too long at first. Within thirty minutes a doctor arrived to inform him that they had run some tests on Inspector Keller. Blood tests and an ultrasound had confirmed the fact that Steve's appendix was indeed very inflamed although thankfully while it was in danger of rupturing it was still intact. Steve was to be whisked off for an emergency appendectomy and as Mike was the nearest thing to family that Steve had it was up to Mike to sign the consent papers. The doctor was very optimistic for a good outcome and this definitely put Mike at ease although he wouldn't breathe a final sigh of relief until Steve was out of surgery and out of the woods so to speak.

The next hour and a half definitely dragged and Mike was starting to pace up and down by the time the doctor next appeared in the corridor. As he approached Mike and his colleagues, Mike's heart almost skipped a beat as he waited for the doctor to speak. Seeing the older man's visible distress the doctor was quick to dispel any fears that Mike had. " Don't worry..all good news ! We managed to remove Steve's appendix by keyhole surgery which will cut down his recovery time. There were no complications and given his age and physique ,and barring any further complications I would expect Steve to make a full recovery. " His youth and strength.. how many times had Mike heard those words spoken about Steve by doctors. Too many for his liking. The relief of the doctor's words sunk in and the stresses and strains of the morning finally took their toll on the older detective. He felt lightheaded and swayed where he stood and the next thing he knew Rudy and Lenny had an arm each and had ushered him to a seat and the doctor was handing him a glass of water and asking him if he was ok? " Oh yes, I'm fine, relieved is all. " Mike reassured them , suddenly feeling his age and very fatigued. " When can I see him ? " The doctor informed Mike that Steve was now in recovery and it would be several hours before he would be fit for visitors. All going well Steve would be discharged the following day. He recommended that Steve stay with someone for at least a week to two weeks after being discharged as he may not be up to fending for himself and he estimated it would be between four to six weeks before Steve would be cleared for active duty again. It was decided that Rudy would drive Mike home while Lenny faithfully volunteered to remain at the hospital incase Steve needed anything. Mike was too worn out to argue so he dutifully went home, cleaned up and grabbed a few hours of welcome sleep. On waking he decided to ring Jeannie and he filled her in on their dramatic morning. It was good to hear her voice and to talk about what had happened. Therapeutic, as Lenny would say. Jeannie was horrified to hear about poor Steve but also ranted about Steve's stubbornness and vowed to give him a piece of her mind when he was up to it. That made Mike chuckle. Once a Stone always a Stone. When Jeannie heard that Steve would need looking after she offered to not only come for the weekend as planned but to stay for the fortnight and nurse Steve back to health. Again ,Mike found it amusing to picture Steve being mother henned by Jeannie and hating every minute of being fussed over but he would be glad of Jeannie's help in making sure Steve didn't overdo things while he got better. Having made the arrangements to pick his daughter up from the airport first thing in the morning he said his goodbyes and Rudy kindly picked him up a while later and drove him back to the hospital. Lenny met him in the corridor and told him that Steve was resting comfortably and doing fine but that he hadn't woken up yet. Mike wasted no time in finding out where Steve was and pulled up a chair beside Steve's bed. Apart from his pallor,a few machines beeping away in the background and a few wires and drips Steve didn't look too bad and that terrible pain was no longer etched on his face. In fact if anything he looked peaceful. Another hour passed but apart from an odd nurse or the doctor coming in every now and then to check on Steve, write in his chart or replace his IV fluids everything was quiet and Mike actually welcomed the respite to sit with his thoughts and replay the days events in his mind safe in the knowledge that the danger had passed and everything was going to be ok. On one occasion when the doctor came in he explained to Mike that Steve's appendix had been dangerously close to bursting and it had been fortunate that Steve had been brought in when he was. Any later and there may have been a grimmer outcome. On hearing this Mike felt a little less guilty for telling Steve to high tail it to work. If he hadn't ,perhaps he would have been home alone when the worst happened and Mike didn't even want to contemplate that. It fact the mere thought was enough to send a cold shudder down Mike's spine. He said a silent prayer of thanks to God. Mike's faith was very strong and sometimes it never ceased to amaze him that all things good or bad seemed to happen for a reason. It was just after seven thirty in the evening when he first heard Steve stir and he leaned in closer and smiled and watched as he had too many times before, as Steve's eyes flickered open and he slowly came to.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thank you for all your very kind reviews. I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me what you think of my stories. Your reviews encourage me to write more! Hope you enjoy the finished story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**The Danger Within**

Chapter 7 : Epilogue

The first thing that penetrated Steve's subconscious this time was not the sound of a ringing phone but an incessant beeping . That sound was all too familiar to Steve and at once he realized that he was once again in the hospital. Why did he always seem to end up here? They would probably give him his own room soon! The hospital smell of disinfectant assaulted his nostrils. It was a smell he detested. Although there was the beeping of machines there wasn't an excessive amount of them and the heavy headed sluggish feeling in his brain both led him to conclude that he was probably in recovery and just coming around from the anaesthetic. God, he thought, he really had been here too many times before. As per usual his eyelids felt like lead and it took a couple of tries before he could manage to keep them open. His eyes adjusted to the light and he slowly looked around. It was then that he saw Mike. He was sitting in the chair next to the bed and when Steve looked his way he smiled. God, had he been there all day? He could always count on Mike and in that moment he felt so blessed to have him as a friend. He looked tired though and Steve felt guilty for putting him through such a stressful day. " Hey... " Steve croaked and suddenly realized how dry his throat felt. " Hey there yourself.. how are you feeling buddy boy?" Mike replied and without being asked he picked up the cup of ice chips off the bedside locker and placed a small spoon of them up to Steve's lips. Steve gladly accepted them and the cool ice moistened his parched lips and soothed his dry throat. "Thanks Mike. I feel ok. A little sore but that awful pain is gone.." " The doc said you were very lucky today buddy boy. Your appendix was very badly inflamed. You gave us all a real scare today you know. You and I are going to have to have a long talk about your avoidance issues when you're feeling better. No more secrets ok? " Mike scolded but he kept his tone light to convey to Steve that he wasn't upset with him just relieved that he was ok. Steve felt embarrassed. He knew he'd worried everyone but he had learned his lesson. " I'm sorry Mike really I am. I just thought it was food poisoning from the hotdog yesterday and I didn't want to make a fuss. I never thought it was anything serious. Honest. But I've learned my lesson Mike. No more secrets. I promise. " Steve felt like the air had been cleared between the two men and he felt himself smiling and relaxing for the first time in ages. " You know you look terrible Mike..." Steve chided "Why don't you go and get yourself something to eat. It's been a long day for you and you're not getting any younger. You know people your age..." " Hey, hey ,less of the people your age speech..." Mike retorted with a playful swat at Steve's shoulder, both now enjoying their usual playful banter. " Maybe I will go and grab something to eat "Mike said ,suddenly realizing how hungry he actually felt. "People my age..." he repeated with another playful swat in Steve's direction. " I'll see you later"."Ok... " Steve replied smiling. Just then the door opened and in came a nurse carrying a tray with what looked like a bowl of chicken noodle soup on it. " Dr. Armstrong says if you want to get out of here tomorrow you have to try and eat something "she informed him. As Mike got to the door he couldn't help but laugh when he looked back and saw the face Steve was making at the strange smelling soup. " You know I could just bring you back a hotdog buddy boy.." Mike said laughing and closed the door just as he heard a soup spoon hit the other side. As he walked down the corridor toward the canteen he couldn't help smiling to himself. He decided to wait until tomorrow to break it to Steve about all the nursing Jeannie had in store for him but you know he couldn't help but look forward to having his family under the one roof again even if it was for only a little while and as a result of such dramatic circumstances. God really did work in mysterious ways.

**The End**


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